--While Francisco Liriano has been all the Pirates could have asked for and more (16-7, 2.92 ERA, 9.13 K/9), Justin Morneau has to be considered a disappointment in his brief time in Pittsburgh. He went 4-for-5 with a double Wednesday, but before that Morneau had just one extra-base hit and was hitting just .222/.344/.259 through his first eight games with the Pirates. Morneau was acquired largely due to Garrett Jones' lack of production (.235/.291/.413). With the big day at the plate Wednesday, Morneau raised his batting line with Pittsburgh to .262/.322/.423.

--Jason Kubel is 3 for his first 10 with the Indians (.300/.500/.400) after posting just a .612 OPS with the Diamondbacks in 267 plate appearances prior to being designated for assignment. It's unclear if the Diamondbacks or the Indians will pay the $1 million buyout on Kubel, as his $7.5 million team option has no prayer of being exercised. The Indians entered Tuesday 4.5 games behind the Tigers for first in the Central, but just 1.5 out of one of the two Wildcard spots.

--Delmon Young is 5 for his first 18 with the Rays (.278/.278/.500) with a home run and a double. The Phillies let Young go after he hit just .261/.302/.397 in 291 plate appearances. He's yet to draw a walk.

--Jamey Carroll is just 3 for 28 since joining the Royals (.107/.182/.179), and as a result remains one hit away from 1,000 for his career.

--Matt Garza has been good, but not great for the Rangers in nine starts -- 3-3, 4.31 ERA, 8.2 K/9 -- while Joe Nathan has been as dominant as ever, saving 39 games with a 1.46 ERA and 9.9 K/9.

--The Nationals aren't quite yet out of the race, and have hung in there with the help of Denard Span, who's on a 20-game hitting streak. Still, he needed that streak to run his season line to .282/.331/.386. Wilson Ramos has also been solid for the Nationals, hitting .278/.313/.476 with 12 home runs in just 240 plate appearances. Prorated over 600 plate appearances, that's on pace for 30 home runs.

--Nick Punto has managed to get into 103 games for the Dodgers this year, and has hit .258/.336/.330 while filling in for stars like Hanley Ramirez and

--Alexi Casilla has somehow managed to stay on the Orioles active roster all season despite hitting just .220/.275/.303 with only six extra-base hits.

--Not only are relievers Pat Neshek (3.58 ERA, 6.7 K/9) and Grant Balfour (2.59 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 37 saves) former Twins on the A's roster, but Oakland has a pair of former Twins on the coaching staff. Oakland's hitting coach is none other than Chili Davis, who was the designated hitter on the 1991 World Series team. Also, the A's bench coach is former super utility player Chip Hale, who played with the Twins from 1989-'96 and is widely believed to be a future managerial candidate.

*Stats are through Monday's games, except Liriano's and Morneau's, which are current.